Senators marked the retirement of Royal Gazette Editor David White with a series of glowing tributes yesterday.

Government Sen. Calvin Smith said Mr. White, 65, had come to the end of "a long and illustrious career''.

Sen. Smith was speaking the day after Mr. White -- who was also made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire for services to journalism in Bermuda -- stepped down from the newspaper's helm.

And he told Senators: "Mr. White carried on the tradition of The Royal Gazette to put the conservative view of Bermuda forcibly, and he did this extremely well.

"He could be depended upon to defend the democratic principles of this country.'' Sen. Smith told the Chamber he had got to know Mr. White during his previous role as the Government's Chief Statistician.

He added: "When I look back at his writings, they are extremely accurate and I think that's because they are devoid of emotion.

"When you are just interested in facts, The Royal Gazette did some pretty good reporting and he, as Editor, had to take credit for that.

"On a personal level, I thought he was very personable and actually very, very charming to the extent that I used to wonder if his caustic remarks were ghost-written.

"I hope he will now take the time to write a post-war history.'' Independent Sen. Walwyn Hughes also congratulated Mr. White on his retirement after 22 years as Editor.

He said: "Although we have our own personal views of the Gazette , it is under his leadership that the newspaper has recorded events of the last 25 years or so and it has certainly gotten our attention.

" The Royal Gazette also has the onerous task of being Bermuda's only daily newspaper.'' Sen. Patricia Gordon-Pamplin (UBP) added: "The newspaper has forced a lot of us to have a full appreciation of what it is to have to report on a daily basis, being the only daily paper in this Country to report the events as they occur and as they unfold.

"I have always had the belief that if everybody complains, then you are probably doing something right.

"And they would certainly be adequate words to describe the opinions that people have had of The Royal Gazette over the years. I wish Mr. White a long and happy retirement.'' Only Government Senate Leader Milton Scott had words of criticism.

He said: "The first thing I learned as a trade unionist was that you don't believe everything you read, especially everything you read in The Royal Gazette .

"That was definitely reinforced when I became a politician.''